CHESS

HISTORY
 The History of Chess spans 1500 years.
 The earliest predecessor of the game probably
originated in India, before the 6th century AD.
 Its early form in the 6th century was known as
“chaturanga”, which translates as four divisions (of the
military): infantry, cavalry, elephantry, and chariotry.
 These forms are represented by the pieces that would
evolved into the modern pawn, knight, bishop, and rook
respectively.
 The game chaturanga was a battle simulation game
which rendered Indian military strategy of time.
 From India, the game spread to Persia, Arab and
Southern Europe.
 In the second half of the 19th century Modern Chess
Tournament play began.
 The modern design of chess pieces bears the name
Staunton, who was an English master in the mid-
1800’s.
 London Tourney – the first international chess
tournament played in 1851.
 Adolf Anderssen – a German who won the game,
London Tourney.
• He became the unofficial best chess player of the world
because he did not receive any award or title.
 Paul Morphy – the first great American-born chess
player
• Paul travelled to Europe in the 1850’s, where he beat all
challengers, including Adolf Anderssen.
• However, the English champion of the time (Staunton)
refused to play with him, so Morphy never became a
world chess champion.
 And the first World Chess Championship was played in
1886 in London, with sand clocks to restrict the length
of a game.
 Steinitz – a Bohemian (Czechoslovakian) Jew who won
the game.
• He became the world’s first official chess champion,
holding this title until 1894.

 Recently, Russia dominates the game of chess.

 The 20th century saw great leaps forward in chess theory and the
establishment of the World Chess Federation (FIDE).
• The Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) is an
international organization based in Switzerland that connects the
various national chess federations and acts ad the governing
body of international chess competition.
INTRODUCTION
 Chess is a two-player strategy board game played on a chessboard.
• Chessboard a checkered game board with 64 squares arranged in an
eight-by-eight grid.

Chess is played by millions of people worldwide, both amateurs and

professionals.
OBJECTIVES
 The objective in chess is to checkmate your opponents king, and there
are four potential ways the game can end:
• First, you can checkmate your opponent.
• Second, you and your opponent can reach stalemate/draw.
• In timed games, each player has a specific amount of time to make
their moves.
• Either player may resign at any time and their opponent wins the
game.
 RULES
 Act of moving the pieces
• The movement of pieces is to be done with one hand.
• When castling, the player should first move the king with one hand and then move the
rook with the same hand.
 Touch-move rule
• In serious play, if a player having the move touches one of their pieces as if having the
intention of moving it, then the player must move it if it can be legally moved.
 Timing
• Tournament games are played under time constraints, called time controls, using a game
clock.
 Recording moves
• In formal competition, each player is obliged to record each move as it is played in a chess
notation in order to settle disputes about illegal positions, overstepping time control, and
making claims of draws by the fifty-move rule or repetition of position.
Irregularities
 Illegal move
• A player who makes an illegal move most retract that move and make a legal move.
 Illegal position
 If it is discovered during the game that the starting position was incorrect, the game is
restarted.
 Conduct
• Players may not use any notes, outside sources or information (including computers), or advice
from other people. Players may not leave the competition area without permission of the
arbiter.
CHESS PIECES
KING
 The King is the most important
chess piece on the chessboard.
• If he is checkmated, the game
is over!
QUEEN
 The Queen is considered the most
powerful chess piece on the
chessboard, she is placed next to the
King on her own color.
ROOK
 There are two Rooks for each player
on the chessboard, situated on the
corners, next to the Knight.
BISHOP
 There are two Bishops for each
player on the chessboard, situated next
to the Queen and King, respectively.
• The Bishop is bound to the color
where it starts on.
• One Bishop starts on white square
and the other starts on a black square.
KNIGHT
 There are two Knights for each
player on the chessboard, situated
between the Bishop and the Rook.
• These chess piece have the unique
trait of being able to ‘leap’ over other
chess pieces.
• They move “L” shape.
PAWN
 Each player has eight pawns,
providing the first line of defense for
their King.
SETTING UP A CHESSBOARD AND THE
PIECES

 Each player begins the game with 16 pieces: One King, One Queen, Two
Rooks, Two Bishops, Two Knights, and Eight Pawns.
• Each of the six piece types move differently, with the most powerful being
the queen and the least powerful the pawn.
 Chess is played on a square board of eight rows (called Ranks and denoted
with numbers 1 to 8) and eight columns (called files and denoted with letters
a to h.
• The colors of the 64 squares alternate and are referred to as “light” and
“dark” squares.
 SETTING UP A CHESSBOARD AND THE
PIECES

R
A
N
K
S

FILES
HOW THE CHESS PIECES
MOVE
 The King moves exactly
one square horizontally,
vertically, or diagonally.
QUEEN

 The Queen moves any

number of vacant squares
in a horizontal, vertical, or
diagonal direction.
ROOK

 A Rook moves any

number of vacant squares
in a horizontal or vertical
direction.
BISHOP

 A Bishop moves any

number of squares in any
diagonal direction.
KNIGHT

 A Knight moves to the

nearest square not on the
same rank, file, or diagonal.
PAWN
 In their first move, each
pawn has the option to
move one or two spaces.
After this move they can
only move one space
forward.
 To capture, the pawn
moves diagonally one
space.
 Pawn can never move
backwards.
 OTHER MOVEMENTS
 CASTLING – consists of moving
the King two squares towards a
Rook, then placing the Rook on
the other side of the, adjacent to it.
 RULES FOR CASTLING
 1. The King and Rook have not yet
moved in the game.
 2. All squares between the King and
Rook are empty.
 3. The King is not in check.
 4. The King does not move to or
move over a square that is in check.
 OTHER MOVEMENTS
 “EN PASSANT” – when the
opponent’s pawn moves two
squares, the pawn can captures as
if the pawn only moves one square.
 PAWN PROMOTION
 If a player advances a Pawn to
its eighth rank, the Pawn is then
promoted (converted) to a Queen,
Rook, Bishop, or Knight of the same
color at the choice of the player
(a Queen is usually chosen).
 CHECK
 A King is in check when it is under
attack by at least one enemy piece.
A piece unable to move because it
would place its own King in check (it
is pinned against its own King) may
still deliver check to.
 CHECK
A player may not make any move
which places or leaves his King in
check. The possible ways to get out
of check are:
• Move the King to a square where
it is not threatened.
• Capture the threatening piece
(possibly with the King).
• Block the check by placing a piece
between the King and the opponent’s
threatening piece.
 CHESS NOTATION
Chess notation is a convenient way to keep track of games, so that
you can replay them to study tactics, understand mistakes, or impress
your friends.

Algebraic Notation is the simplest and most

common form of chess notation. It labels the
grid of the chess board with letters(Files) and
numbers (Ranks).
 CHESS NOTATION
How to Write a Move
To write a move, give the name of the piece and the square to which it
moves. If a piece is captured, we
include the symbol ‘x’ for “captures” before
the destination square.
K: King Q: Queen R: Rook
B: Bishop N: Knight
P: Pawn (although, by convention, P is usually
omitted from notation)
 CHESS NOTATION
For example:
White’s first move is Nc3: knight to square c3. Black responds with
f5(remember, the P is omitted).
White plays e4 and Black captures the pawn,
fxe4, f captures the e4. The file f replaces the
name of the pawn, since P is omitted.
Special Symbols
x: captures 0-0: kingside castle
0-0-0: queenside castle +: check
#: checkmate !: good move
?: poor move
 4 WAYS TO DRAW A GAME
1. By agreement with your opponent.

2. Repeating the same position three (3) times, with the same person
to move and the same possible moves.

3. Stalemate: The Player to move has no legal moves and is not in

check.

4. The 50-Move Rule: 50 moves without a check or a piece being

captured.